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Sanders takes BP, shows he can still hit

Sanders takes BP, shows he can still hit

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Deion Sanders

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MLB.com |

BALTIMORE -- Former NFL and Major League Baseball player Deion Sanders sauntered into the Orioles' clubhouse prior to Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays and gave manager Buck Showalter a bear hug, lifting him off the floor.

Sanders then moved to his ad-hoc locker next to Adam Jones, changed into an Orioles uniform with his staple No. 21 on the back and took batting practice. Now an analyst for the NFL Network, Sanders was in town for the Browns/Ravens game Thursday night, and he wanted to pay a visit to Showalter, who was his former manager at Double-A Albany and was a coach with the Yankees when Sanders played in pinstripes in the early 1990s.

"I think Buck is going to sign me," Sanders said after spraying balls around Camden Yards. "It's an audition really. Last time I hit, Buck was in Arlington, [Texas], with the Rangers. He told me then, 'Can I get you to pinch-run late in the game?'"

Sanders also has a connection to Baltimore, having played one season with the Ravens. He had some advice for the Orioles as they make a push for the playoffs.

"Stay focused, man," Sanders said. "They got what it takes. They got the pitching, the hitting and the fielding. They just have to stay focused every game and treat like every game like a playoff game."